A man in his late 60s was shot in the abdomen while grilling at a Baytown park Tuesday night after an argument with two teenagers escalated into gunfire, according to radio transmissions. The man was airlifted to an area hospital and was in stable condition with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 14 out of 15, meaning he remained conscious and mostly responsive despite his injury. Baytown police are now searching for the two teen suspects, who fled the scene and remain at large.
The shooting happened at 10:11 p.m. Tuesday at 1502 Nolan Road, according to Click2Houston, which first reported the shooting. That address corresponds to the Bay Terrace residential community, a neighborhood situated adjacent to municipal green space and N.C. Foote Park along Goose Creek, according to Apartments.com. Baytown itself is a coastal industrial city east of Houston along the Houston Ship Channel, the same listing notes.
Per the outlet's reporting, two teenagers argued with the man before the confrontation turned violent, and the dispute escalated into gunfire. The man was treated at the scene before being flown to a hospital. A neighbor described him as a man in his late 60s, the report states.
Severity of the Wound and What Comes Next
A Glasgow Coma Scale score of 14 out of 15 typically indicates a mild traumatic brain injury or minor neurological alteration, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The scale evaluates eye movement, verbal response, and motor function on a 3-to-15 point scale, and a score in that range generally means a patient stays alert even after a traumatic injury like a gunshot wound.
If the two teen suspects are apprehended, they could face serious legal exposure. Assault involving a deadly weapon or causing serious bodily injury is classified as a second-degree felony under Texas Penal Code Section 22.02, carrying a potential sentence of 2 to 20 years in state prison and fines up to $10,000, according to Ramos Law. Displaying or firing a firearm during an assault triggers a mandatory deadly weapon finding under Texas law, the firm notes.
Because the suspects are described as teenagers, their age could also shape how any eventual case proceeds. Under Texas Family Code Section 54.02, juvenile courts have discretionary authority to evaluate teens aged 14 and older accused of serious felony offenses involving deadly weapons for transfer to adult criminal district court, according to the Juvenile Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. That kind of discretionary transfer weighs the gravity of the offense, public safety, and any prior delinquency record.
Tip Lines Open as Manhunt Continues
Baytown Crime Stoppers is offering anonymous cash rewards of up to $2,000 for tips that lead to an arrest and felony indictment, submitted through 281-427-TIPS (8477) or the P3 Tips mobile app. Tipster identities are legally protected under Texas law during active felony investigations, according to Baytown Crime Stoppers.
If either suspect turns out to attend a local school, there's another avenue for tips. Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District partners with Baytown Crime Stoppers on a Campus Crime Stoppers initiative that offers cash rewards for student tips about illegal weapons or violent behavior across junior high and high school campuses in the district.
A City Grappling With Youth Violence
The shooting comes as Baytown Police Chief John Stringer and the city have been running a Public Safety Listening Tour through municipal districts in July and August, giving residents a direct line to raise neighborhood safety concerns with officials. Stringer's department manages law enforcement and violent crime investigations for a community that has grown to more than 85,000 residents across Harris and Chambers counties, according to the City of Baytown. Census data puts Baytown's 2024 population at 85,205, with children under 18 making up more than a quarter of that total, according to Data USA.
This is not the first time Baytown has confronted gun violence involving teenagers. In April 2024, arrests in a teen athlete's shooting death came after a 15-month investigation into the killing of 16-year-old Robert E. Lee High School athlete Shane Hamilton, who was shot outside his apartment complex in January 2023. That case underscores how long these investigations can stretch before answers emerge, even as the identities of the two teenagers who fled Tuesday's shooting, what triggered their argument with the victim, and whether any nearby cameras captured their escape all remain unresolved. For now, Baytown police continue searching for the two suspects while the man they allegedly shot recovers in stable condition.
